A domain name system (DNS) allows people using the internet to refer to domain names, rather than IP addresses, when accessing websites and other online services. Domain names, which employ text characters, such as letters, numbers, and hyphens, will often be easier to remember than IP addresses, which are numerical and do not contain letters or hyphens. In order to implement a DNS, a variety of top-level domains (TLDs) have been created. A generic top-level domain (gTLD) is one type of top-level domain used in DNS. Examples of gTLDs that have already been created are “.com,” “.net,” and “.org.” Another type of TLD is a country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) such as, for example, “.uk.”
One or more second-level domains (SLDs) can be registered under a TLD. For example, a SLD of “verisign” could be registered under the TLD “.com” such that a website could be accessed at “verisign.com.”
A domain name “Registry” is an entity that creates, that is, “registers” TLDs, and stores data regarding TLDs and SLDs to be registered under the respective TLDs. A Registry may make stored data regarding TLDs available to one or more “Registrars.” A Registrar may receive data from customers desiring to register one or more SLDs under a given TLD and may communicate this data to the Registry for storage.
The creation and administration of a new TLD or a new SLD requires several changes to be made at a Registry, at one or more Registrars, and at a variety of other services such as DNS servers and Whois. In order for a Registry to store data regarding TLDs and SLDs registered under the respective TLDs, data regarding a new TLD may need to be entered into a Registry. In addition, in order for a Registrar to register SLDs under TLDs, data regarding a new TLD may need to be provided to the Registrars. It is desirable to provide an improved method for performing the steps necessary to create a new TLD or a new SLD.